Lady Misfortune: Daddy, I'll Be A Righteous Villainess!

Weiss and Lady each get a ham sandwich.

The academy's middle school building has an activity center located next to the cafeteria. Beyond that lies the school field. It's a large open area – just a little bit smaller than a park. Visually, the setting is one-half blue and one-half green, littered with rough browns offered by a myriad of oak trees that are surrounding the place. It displays a picturesque view where students and faculty staff alike may play or relax at. 

It's also a place, Weiss thinks, that's perfect for friends to meet at without being disturbed. So, he's surprised when he finds it's empty. He looks at Lady.

"I thought we're going to meet your friends here," he said.

"We are!" she replied through a mouthful of sandwich, making him slightly grimace.

"Don't speak with your mouth full, Lady. You might choke." 

"Ugh."

She rolls her eyes at him yet still swallows her food. "Happy?" her unamused face told him. He nodded. When he noticed that some crumbs have scattered along the edges of her lips, he reached into his pocket for his handkerchief. Unfortunately, he found it empty too – just like the field. He sighed. 

He had forgotten he had already fulfilled his 'offer-his-hanky-to-a-lady' duty today. But then came an idea that made him huff a little, amused at himself – maybe this was one of the reasons why cuffs for sleeves were invented.

"Hold on a bit, Lady," he told her after she swallowed the last bite of her ham sandwich. 

Lady turns to him with a baffled look. Weiss smiles softly before leaning forward to her. 

He then raises his arm, using the cuff of his sleeve to wipe away the crumbs on her face. Her eyes widen at this in surprise – bulging even more when he eventually decided to just use his fingers. 

"Oh, thanks…" she blurted out, bringing a hand up to her lips and smiling back at him in thanks. 

"Fallon is always telling me I'm a messy eater."

"It's alright…" he answered, amused time and again.

"By the way, is Fallon your cousin?"

"Yeah. Speaking of, he found this awesome out-of-view spot for us to eat in. We're not allowed to take lunch outside the canteen, apparently. School rules and all that. But it's gray and dull and noisy in there. So, we all prefer it out here."

Lady continues to guide Weiss.

She brings him past a few oak trees. Then, eventually, they've reached their destination – only to stumble upon three people lying across the grass, stacked on top of each other. Dumbfounded, they just stood there in silence for one whole moment. 

Weiss still doesn't know how to react when Lady starts to stomp her feet towards them.

"Okay. What's going on here?" she demanded. 

There was nothing condemnatory about her tone. But at the same time, she looked more unamused than concerned. This probably happens often, which is quite a huge surprise, considering that these kids are from rich families. 

"They're all idiots! Idiots!" Fallon yelled from the bottom of the pile, which must have been a very uncomfortable position – Weiss felt sorry for him. 

"That doesn't really explain anything," Lady deadpanned.

"Well, I brought some fries. Then, you know… Hartigan," Belle explained. 

Someone with his butt facing toward Weiss laughed nervously. Lady took a closer look and found Hartigan smiling tensely. 

"We got a little tangled up…" he said sheepishly from wherever his head was. 

"Now, we don't know how to get free without squishing Fallon."

Lady groans. Luckily for them, Weiss has already studied their positions.

He walks forward before he grabs the ankles of butt-guy and lifts his legs over the girl's head. Then, he takes an arm and uncrosses it from another leg. 

"Can you pull him out for me, Lady?" he beckoned, pointing at the butt-head. 

"Sure!" she complied, smirking and cracking her knuckles.

And with that, Lady pulls Hartigan out in one swoop. The pile falls apart almost immediately – just like the Tower of Babel. Weiss feels as if he's a god at that moment, watching a unified front become divided by his own hands. 'Bad analogy, Weiss,' he winced, dispelling the thought. 

Besides, it's Lady who deserves recognition here. She has the strength that Weiss isn't certainly expecting.

He feels quite elated at the notion. He looks at her while she watches her friends untangle themselves with fascination. It seems he's happier being proud of her rather than being proud of himself.

"Thank goodness!" exclaimed Fallon, sitting up and stretching. 

Then, a cracking bone is heard. Belle worriedly places her hands on his back, apologizing all the while. Everyone else recoils at the sound - except Weiss. He recoils at his comment.

"Oof… That hurt…" Lady expressed. 

"You've got to thank Weiss, Fallon." 

At that, he shifts his gaze from his cousin to the white-haired boy standing next to her. Recognition crosses his face. 'Oh, Snobby Rich Boy,' he thought.

"Guys, say hello to Weiss!" Lady chirped blithely, spreading her arms towards Weiss who then waved his hand politely.

"Hello there," they chorused. 

He examines their reactions. 

Fallon doesn't seem to really care. Contrary to his expectation, he turns out to be grumpy. Belle and Hartigan, on the other hand, are bickering. It appears that they still haven't gotten over the fries.

"I like your friends…" Weiss chimed in, talking mostly to Lady. 

"They're very… cheerful."

She smiled at him, delighted to hear that. He's about to smile back when she suddenly sat on the ground and pulled him down next to her. 

"Those two who are acting like an old married couple right now are Hartigan and Belle," she said, introducing her friends.

"They're married? They're too young, though?" he blurted out, brows furrowed together in confusion.

"It just means they bicker a lot, Weiss."

"Oh."

Lady giggles a little. That has caught Fallon's attention. Belle noticed this. 

She could already read his thoughts just by seeing his expression - he's starting to get wary, maybe even bitter. Knowing just what to do, she continued in Lady's stead and introduced him to Weiss, "And this is Fallon! They may be family, but they act like a young couple sometimes!"

The two in question whipped their heads in her direction. She lets out a guffaw at their reaction.

"Wait, so you're all paired off?" Weiss asked, stupefied. 

"Stop playing matchmaker, you two. It's annoying," Fallon grumbled.

"Yeah! Don't make our first impressions worse, Belle!" Hartigan seconded.

"You're no fun, guys," Belle said dryly. 

Soon enough, verbal warfare ensues.

Weiss slumps, unsure of what to do. Belle and Hartigan are arguing over some fries while Fallon and Lady are engaged in some gladiator-style banter.

He feels a little out of place. But it's what he expected. These are her friends, after all. They know her for a long time. To them, he's only a stranger.

He just wonders if he's not interrupting. They didn't seem to mind since they didn't even ask where he popped out from.

"Arm wrestle for the fries!" Hartigan suddenly declared over the chaos. 

"You're just gonna cause trouble again," Belle sighed, face-palming.

"All this over some fries?" Weiss asked incredulously. 

There's a collective sigh.

The three of them turn to look at him with exasperated expressions, which worries him greatly. When he turns his head to the other one, it looks dangerously hungry. He can't help but gulp.

"A challenger!" Hartigan announced with a crazed look in his eyes. 

His upper body falls forward, landing on his elbow, while his fingers clench and unclench in excitement. He then continues, "Whoever wins gets the fries!"

"I don't really want it," Weiss tried to refuse.

"He's afraid~" Hartigan taunted.

Lady rolled her eyes at his antics. Belle did the same.

"Don't mind him, Weiss," the former assured him.

"He's just upset because I won't give him fries," the latter deadpanned.

Weiss feels relieved. He's been saved – yet not for too long. Hartigan grabbed his hand and went on to provoke him, "Arm wrestle me! I dare you!"

Crap, he thought.

He's unprepared for any of this, but he has to try his best. Luckily, he trained martial arts and the likes – and he's strong enough to look manly at least. However, this is no competition for combat skills. Rather, this is purely a test of strength. 

So, Weiss loses. 

Hartigan is doing some weird victory dance while he looks away in embarrassment. He wonders what Lady will think of him now.

"Hartigan, I challenge you for the fries!" 

Weiss looks up in awe at the new challenger – Lady, the salvation of his wounded pride. Fallon and Belle are also astonished to see this. 

They never saw her this pumped up over something like an arm wrestle. 

"You got it! I won't lose…!" Hartigan remarked proudly, taking Lady's hand. 

"I'm a strong, hungry man! I'll win!"

He loses.

Belle cheers while Fallon claps, sharing her moment of victory. Lady smirks at Hartigan who's been reduced to a ball of negativity. Once all of that is over, she sits next to Weiss again, offering him some fries. 

"Do you want some?" Lady asked, grinning widely.